Job Description

The Research Technician plays a vital role working with the researchers as part of the Research & Development Department. The primary duties are to provide field support, including experimental setup and data acquisition across all aspects of R&D, including agronomy, crop physiology, and entomology.

Duties and Responsibilities

Functions include but are not limited to the following. Must be able to move freely between tasks depending on workload, season, etc.

• Collect field data (plant tissue, soil, insect sampling, harvest, as well as data loggers, or other forms of information collection)
• Organizes resources (time, labor, materials)
• Monitor field experiments.
• Record field observations or other experimental details
• Organizes and maintains current work records as well as historic work records for review.
• Reliably performs tasks with specific equipment after having received proper training.
• Work collaboratively with internal employees and contract labor crews
• Computer and cell phone app use for data entry

Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, shall, and/ or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential function.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE:

• High school degree or GED
• Bilingual English/Spanish
• At least one year of experience in agriculture (preferred)

SPECIFIC KNOWELDGE, AND SKILLS:

Critical Skills (Soft skills / transferable)

• Ability to have safety, productivity, and attention to detail as daily objectives.
• Monitor labor time allocation of projects.
• Navigate in a widely divergent work environment, possibly traveling hundreds of miles per day using safe driving techniques with company provided vehicles.
• Assess changing workplace conditions and adjust within the context of assigned tasks.
• Work independently and remotely under field, lab, and office conditions
• Understand the significance of errors and omissions during technical tasks and develops experience in addressing these problems.
• Familiarity with commercial agricultural conditions and practices
• Numerical competency (required) and computer literacy (preferred)

Functional Skills (Hard skills / job-specific)

• Outdoor work in large geographic areas

LICENSES, AND/OR CERTIFICATIONS:

Valid California Driver’s License.

Physical Demand(s)

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit, stand, walk, talk, and hear. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, and the ability to adjust focus.

Moving and climbing ladders, lifting supplies in and out of rooms and pickup trucks, walking through field sites with uneven terrain

Full body motion; two hand manipulation; lifting and carrying; driving, sitting, walking, or standing for > 6 hours per day; color perception; normal auditory requirement; spirometry abilities to support respirator use.

Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.

• Field work under typical yearly Central Valley California climatic conditions – temperature, dust, fumes, noise, sunlight
• Lab based physical tasks and chemical analytical analysis.
• Office based computer work sessions.
• Incumbents may be assigned an irregular work schedule, including weekends, early mornings, evenings, and holidays.

Compensation:

Pay Range: $19.00 - $20.00/ hr . Final compensation will be dependent upon skills & experience.

Additional Information

Why chose Wonderful?

Wonderful Nurseries and Wonderful Orchards are part of The Wonderful Company, a privately held $5 billion company, which also has other No. 1 brands such as Wonderful® Pistachios, FIJI® Water, Wonderful® Halos®, JUSTIN® Wine, and Teleflora®. To learn more about The Wonderful Company, visit www.wonderful.com, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To view the current Corporate Social Responsibility report, visit www.wonderful.com/csr.

• We nourish, naturally - We believe that what you put into your body matters. The most nutritious -- and best-tasting -- foods are those from nature.
• We play to win - Our employees set ambitious goals and meet challenges with unified purpose and unmatched energy.
• We act differently - With courage and fearlessness, we are relentless in our quest to inspire healthier. food and beverage choices. As a privately held organization, we have the freedom and the power to make quick and effective decisions.

Wonderful Orchards and The Wonderful Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer and with opportunities for advancement. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories.

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